2020: Hypercars at Le Mans

It started out as a rumor early this year but some time before Le Mans both ACO and FIA confirmed. We’re really going to have hypercars at La Sarthe and other WEC races! So from 2020 onward, we won’t have LMP1 as the top WEC class. The video above succinctly explains what this new class is about.

I’m really excited about this because this new category kind of reminds me of the glorious Group 5 (“silhouette racing”) era and all the g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s cars that we had.

Porsche at Le Mans – 1971

Unfortunately only in German, but if you’re a 917 nut like me, and manage 13 minutes of spare time, watch it. It’s totally worth it! I was blown away by the amount of fabrication that they did in the pits. At one moment you can see the JWA team fitting a nose to the car by adding fiberglass – so it was not just a bolt-on job.

After watching the 2019 race, it’s really bizarre to see how things were done back then.

How you build a new hypercar – Koenigsegg way

A couple of days ago Top Gear posted a video where Top Gear Magazine’s Jack Rix visted Koenigsegg’s factory at Ängleholm, Sweden. The video was shot a few day’s before the unveiling of the new Jesko at the 2019 Geneva International Motor Show this March, but it went live this week. It focus more on the Regera than on the new Jesko, but it’s always a delight to see Christian Von Koenigsegg’s passion for his cars.

How you build a vintage 356 Carrera Speedster Zagato nowadays

Stumbled upon this video on Petrolicious last night. Zagato has just created what they call the “Sanction Lost” program. The Sanction Lost initiative was created to celebrate the studio’s 100th anniversary. The idea is to recreate some of the design firm’s “lost” projects. The cars will be produced in a very limited form, and all hand-made, using period correct techniques and materials.

The Zagato 356 Carrera Speedster was a one-off produced in 1957, that was destroyed in a race accident not long after it was delivered. Because of it’s beautiful lines, this will be the first of the Sanction Lost cars. With the official blessing from Porsche, only nine will be produced, all spoken for.

I know it’s a cliché, but to me this car is poetry in motion.